1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cabinet structure for a display apparatus such as a liquid crystal television.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional cabinet structure for a display apparatus such as a liquid crystal television is such that a liquid crystal module provided with a liquid crystal panel is fitted in a box-shaped cabinet composed of a front cabinet and a rear cabinet. In the front cabinet, there is provided an open window portion through which a display screen of the liquid crystal panel is exposed.
The liquid crystal module is built as a unit provided with components such as a liquid crystal panel, a drive circuit for driving the liquid crystal panel, a tuner for receiving a broadcast signal, and a circuit board having, for example, a control circuit for controlling various parts mounted thereon. Such a liquid crystal module is screwed to a fitting boss provided in the front cabinet.
In fitting the liquid crystal module in the front cabinet, a press rib provided on the front-cabinet side is pressed against a bezel provided along the outer circumferential edge of the display screen of the liquid crystal panel, and then the liquid crystal module is screwed to the fitting boss.
The front cabinet is made of resin, and thus deformation such as warp or flexure may occur in the front cabinet. Deformation occurred in the front cabinet leads to undulation in the length direction of the press rib, which causes a gap to occur between the liquid crystal module and the press rib. Such a gap causes vibration noise. A gap between the liquid crystal module and the press rib will cause a gap to occur between the liquid crystal panel and the front cabinet, and this deteriorates the appearance of the apparatus. Furthermore, vibration noise annoys the audience, and thus further deteriorates the commercial value of the apparatus.
To cope with this, there have already been filed patent applications for the following inventions: a cabinet structure in which cabinet deformation and vibration noise are prevented by providing moment force generation means that is integrally formed with a front cabinet to generate a moment force to bring an open window portion on the front-cabinet side into a close contact with the liquid crystal-panel side in the fabrication process, to thereby improve the appearance of the front cabinet and the display screen of the liquid crystal panel when they are assembled together (see, for example, the Patent Literature JP-A-2007-293129); and a display apparatus structured such that an end of a press rib is formed narrower toward the end such that the press rib and a liquid crystal module are in a close contact with each other in a line-contact manner, to thereby prevent a gap from occurring between the liquid crystal module and the press rib to cause vibration noise (see, for example, the Patent Literature JP-2008-309890).
It is possible, in fitting the liquid crystal module to the front cabinet, to generate a moment force to bring the open window portion on the front-cabinet side into a close contact with the liquid crystal-panel side, but, if the liquid crystal panel is pressed too strongly, strain may occur in the liquid crystal screen. Furthermore, since the moment force generation means needs to be disposed in a predetermined position, the structure cannot be a simple one. Hence, there has been a need for a simpler cabinet structure capable of improving the appearance of the display screen of a liquid crystal panel and a cabinet when they are assembled together, and also capable of preventing occurrence of vibration noise.
Also, it is possible to form the press rib in a shape that is narrower toward its end (tapered toward its end) and bring the press rib into a close contact with the liquid crystal module, but with respect to display apparatuses such as liquid crystal televisions that have been increasing in size, it is difficult to follow the modification of a wide front cabinet and bring a press rib into a uniform contact with the wide front cabinet by using a method of simply bringing the press rib into a close contact with the front cabinet in a line-contact manner.
Thus, a simpler cabinet structure is needed in which the gap between the front cabinet and the liquid crystal panel is made uniform such that a preferable appearance of the liquid crystal panel and the front cabinet can be achieved when they are assembled together, and such that, even when the cabinet structure is applied to a display apparatus having a large display screen, vibration noise can be effectively prevented from occurring where the front cabinet and the liquid crystal module are in contact with each other.